2016–17 Guatemalan Liga Nacional
# 2016–17 Guatemalan Liga Nacional

The 2016–17 Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala season is the 19th season in which the Apertura and Clausura season is used. The season began on 2016 and will end in 2017.

## Format

The format for both championships are identical. Each championship will have two stages: a first stage and a playoff stage. The first stage of each championship is a double round-robin format. The teams that finish first and second in the standings will advance to the playoffs semifinals, while the teams that finish 3–6 will enter in the quarterfinals. The winner of each quarterfinal will advance to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will advance to the finals, which will determine the tournament champion.

## Apertura

The 2016 Torneo Apertura began in July 2016 and will end in December 2016.

### Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Chairman | Head Coach | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Antigua GFC | Rafael Arreaga | Mauricio Tapia | TBD | Pegamex |
| Deportivo Carchá | Douglas Delgado | Javier Martínez | TBD | TBD |
| Cobán Imperial | | Ariel Sena | Puma | TBD |
| Comunicaciones | Pedro Portilla | Iván Franco Sopegno | TBD | TBD |
| Guastatoya | | Amarini Villatoro | TBD | TBD |
| Malacateco | TBD | Ronald Gómez | TBD | TBD |
| Marquense | TBD | Néstor Emilio Soria | TBD | TBD |
| Mictlan | TBD | Sergio Guevara | TBD | TBD |
| Municipal | TBD | Gustavo Machaín | TBD | TBD |
| Deportivo Petapa | Mynor Morales | Ramiro Cepeda | TBD | TBD |
| Suchitepéquez | TBD | Enrique Maximiliano Meza | TBD | TBD |
| Xelajú | TBD | Rafael Loredo | RetoSports | TBD |

### Table

**Standings**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Municipal | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 19 | +17 | 44 | Qualified to the Semifinals |
| 2 | Antigua GFC | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 38 | Qualified to the Semifinals |
| 3 | Comunicaciones | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 37 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Malacateco | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 23 | +6 | 36 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Guastatoya | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 36 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 6 | Cobán Imperial | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 34 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 7 | Xelajú MC | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 29 | |
| 8 | Marquense | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 26 | |
| 9 | Petapa | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 31 | −8 | 25 | |
| 10 | Suchitepéquez | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 24 | |
| 11 | Mictlan | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 22 | |
| 12 | Carchá | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 33 | −17 | 15 | |

## Playoffs

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | 1 | Municipal | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Malacateco | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | Malacateco | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| 5 | Guastatoya | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | 1 | Municipal | 1 | 1 | 2 (4) |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Antigua GFC | 2 | 0 | 2 (5) |
| | | | | | 2 | Antigua GFC | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 3 | Comunicaciones | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Comunicaciones | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| 6 | Cobán Imperial | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Quarterfinals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Guastatoya | 0–1 | Malacateco | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Cobán Imperial | 0–2 | Comunicaciones | 0–1 | 0–1 |

**Second leg**

Comunicaciones won 2–0 on aggregate.

Malacateco won 1–0 on aggregate.

### Semifinals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Deportivo Malacateco | 1–2 | Municipal | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Comunicaciones | 1–1 | Antigua GFC | 1–0 | 0–1 |

**Second leg**

Municipal won 2–1 on aggregate.

1-1 on aggregate. Antigua GFC progresses as the higher seed.

### Finals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Antigua GFC | 2–2 5–4 (p) | Municipal | 2–1 | 0–1 |

**Second leg**

2-2 on aggregate. Antigua GFC wins 5-4 on penalties.

* Apertura 2016 champions
* Antigua GFC 2nd title

## Managerial changes

### Beginning of the season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Deportivo Petapa | Pablo Centrone | Sacked | May 2016 | Ramiro Cepeda | May 2016 | th (Clausura 2016) |
| Xelajú | Carlos Jurado | Contract not extended | May 2016 | Rafael Loredo | May 2016 | th (Clausura 2016) |
| Deportivo Carcha | Daniel Orlando Berta | Contract not extended | May 2016 | Javier Martínez | June 2016 | th (Clausura 2016) |
| C.D. Suchitepéquez | Douglas Zamora | Sacked | June 2016 | Enrique Maximiliano Meza | June 2016 | th (Clausura 2016) |
| Cobán Imperial | Héctor Julián Trujillo | Sacked | June 2016 | Ariel Sena | June 2016 | th (Clausura 2016) |

### During the season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| TBD | TBD | Resigned | 2016 | TBD | 2016 | th (2016) |
| Deportivo Carcha | Javier Martínez | Resigned | 2016 | Héctor Julián Trujillo | 2016 | th (Apertura 2015) |
| Deportivo Marquense | Néstor Emilio Soria | Sacked | 2016 | Sergio Pardo | 2016 | th (Apertura 2015) |
| Deportivo Guastatoya | Roque Raúl Alfaro | Sacked | 2016 | Amarini Villatoro | 2016 | th (Apertura 2015) |
| TBD | TBD | Sacked | 2016 | TBD | 2016 | th (Apertura 2015) |

## List of foreign players in the league

This is a list of foreign players in 2016-2017 season. The following players:

* have played at least one apertura game for the respective club.
* have not been capped for the Guatemala national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace

A new rule was introduced a few season ago, that clubs can only have five foreign players per club and can only add a new player if there is an injury or player/s is released.

## Clausura

The 2017 Torneo Clausura is expected to begin in January 2017 and end in May 2017.

### Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Chairman | Head Coach | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Antigua GFC | Rafael Arreaga | Mauricio Tapia | TBD | Pegamex |
| Deportivo Carchá | TBD | Daniel Orlando Berta | TBD | TBD |
| Cobán Imperial | | Fabricio Chapa Benitez | Puma | TBD |
| Comunicaciones | Pedro Portilla | Iván Franco Sopegno | TBD | TBD |
| Guastatoya | | Ariel Sena | TBD | TBD |
| Malacateco | TBD | Nelson Mauricio Ancheta | TBD | TBD |
| Marquense | TBD | Juan Melgar | TBD | TBD |
| Mictlan | TBD | Sergio Guevara | TBD | TBD |
| Municipal | TBD | Gustavo Machaín | TBD | TBD |
| Deportivo Petapa | TBD | Pablo Centrone | TBD | TBD |
| Suchitepéquez | TBD | Walter Claverí | TBD | TBD |
| Xelajú | TBD | Hernán Medford | RetoSports | TBD |

### Table

**Standings**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Municipal | 22 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 36 | Qualified to the Semifinals |
| 2 | Petapa | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 34 | Qualified to the Semifinals |
| 3 | Guastatoya | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 16 | +6 | 32 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Comunicaciones | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 30 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Suchitepéquez | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 30 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 6 | Xelajú MC | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 29 | Qualified to the Quarterfinals |
| 7 | Cobán Imperial | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 29 | |
| 8 | Marquense | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 28 | |
| 9 | Malacateco | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 28 | |
| 10 | Mictlan | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 25 | −11 | 28 | |
| 11 | Antigua GFC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 28 | 30 | −2 | 27 | |
| 12 | Carchá | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 20 | |

## Playoffs

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | 1 | Municipal | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | |
| 4 | Comunicaciones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Suchitepéquez | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| 5 | Suchitepéquez | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | 1 | Municipal | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Guastatoya | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | | | 2 | Petapa | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | |
| 3 | Guastatoya | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Guastatoya | 3 | 2 | 5 | | | | | |
| 6 | Xelajú MC | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Quarterfinals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Xelajú MC | 2–4 | Guastatoya | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| Suchitepéquez | 1–0 | Comunicaciones | 1–0 | 0–0 |

**Second leg**

Guastatoya won 4–2 on aggregate.

Suchitepéquez won 1–0 on aggregate.

### Semifinals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Suchitepéquez | 1–3 | Municipal | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Guastatoya | 5–4 | Petapa | 3–1 | 2–3 |

**Second leg**

Municipal won 3–1 on aggregate.

Guastatoya won 5-4 on aggregate.

### Finals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Guastatoya | 0–2 | Municipal | 0–0 | 0–2 |

**Second leg**

Municipal won 2-0 on aggregate.

* Clausura 2017 champions
* Municipal 30th title

## Aggregate table

Three teams would have qualified for CONCACAF club competitions, but due to FIFA's suspension of Guatemala, these spots were given to other Central American countries.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Municipal | 44 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 55 | 29 | +26 | 80 | |
| 2 | Comunicaciones | 44 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 69 | |
| 3 | Guastatoya | 44 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 68 | |
| 4 | Antigua GFC | 44 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 65 | 59 | +6 | 68 | |
| 5 | Malacateco | 44 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 64 | |
| 6 | Cobán Imperial | 44 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 43 | 34 | +9 | 63 | |
| 7 | Petapa | 44 | 17 | 8 | 19 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 59 | |
| 8 | Xelajú MC | 44 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 58 | |
| 9 | Marquense | 44 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 54 | |
| 10 | Suchitepéquez | 44 | 15 | 9 | 20 | 52 | 69 | −17 | 54 | |
| 11 | Mictlan | 44 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 33 | 56 | −23 | 50 | Relegation play-off |
| 12 | Carchá | 44 | 8 | 11 | 25 | 27 | 57 | −30 | 35 | Relegation to 2017-2018 Primera División de Ascenso |
